Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza admitted that his side could not provide star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan the necessary support and this led to them being knocked out in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup.
“We are extremely sorry that we couldn’t lend a helping hand to Shakib who batted, bowled and fielded very well in every match in this tournament,” said Mashrafe in the post-match presentation ceremony after their 94-run loss to Pakistan in their final group game on Friday.
Shakib had a brilliant run with the bat in this tournament. He made two centuries and scored in excess of 50 runs in all but one innings in the tournament. He ended the campaign with 606 runs, the most by a player in the group stage of a World Cup. He also picked up 11 wickets including a five-wicket haul against Afghanistan.
Mashrafe said that Bangladesh’s bowling and fielding cost them in the tournament but their batting was a big positive. “In some important matches, the fielding cost us a lot throughout the tournament. The bowling hasn’t been up to the mark either, but the batting was a big positive,” he said.
Pacer Mustafizur Rahman picked up five wickets in the match against Pakistan. “Mustafizur was unplayable from the beginning of his career. He has struggled in the last two years with injuries, but since the Ireland series he has done well, and he is an asset for Bangladesh cricket. We could’ve finished on a good note. It has been 50-50. We have given our 100 percent, but sometimes we need luck, which has never been with us,” said Mashrafe.